2011 World Champs/Daegu: Men's 800m Semi-finals:

David Rudisha, 2011 WC 800m: will he break the world record?
photo by PhotoRun.net

Rudisha, Amman, Symmonds impressed us in the semi-finals. This is how we saw the 800 meter semi-finals:

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Abubaker Kaki, 2011 WC 800m, photo by PhotoRun.net

In the first semi-final, Abubaker Kaki hit the 200m in 23.46, 400m in 50.19 and was in the lead. As they came off the final turn, Mohammed Aman of Ethiopia went by Marcin Lewadowski of Poland, and both pushed Abubaker Kaki back to third. Amman ran 1:44.57, a PB for first, Lewandowski was second in 1:44.60, and Kaki was third in 1:44.62. Alfred Kiwa Yego was fourth in 1:44.82. All four moved to the final.

Nick Symmonds, 2011 WC 800m, photo by PhotoRun.net

Nick Symmonds took the second semi-final lead, hitting 25.42 for 200 meters and 52.83 for 400 meters. Yuriy Borzakovsky of Russia, the Olympic champion, came up on Symmonds shoulder and that is how it stayed, 1:45.73 for both, and they were only two to qualify from the second semi final!

David Rudisha, 2011 WC 800m, photo by PhotoRun.net

In semi-final three, David Rudisha won here in 1:44.20, after hitting the 400m in 51.19. Adam Kszcot of Poland took second in 1:44.81, taking the final spot in the final.

My picks: Rudisha, Borzakovsky, Symmonds

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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